Made of Money
The world is a greedy place. Marcus found that out the hard way. He was taking his step-kid to her first day of 8th grade. When she started complaining about wanting the new gaming system or iPhone or whatever the kids are into nowadays. “But DAAAD everyone else in school has it, even Martha Masterson ” Louise screamed.
“I’m not made of money Louise” Marcus snapped back.
“I wish you were.”
In an instant the skies cracked with thunder as lighting stuck the car, right over the driver’s seat. Marcus’ body began to transform.
His long blonde hair turned to crisp $100.00 bills. His dark green eyes turned to stacks of quarters. His legs turned into rolls of bank notes varying in price from $500.00 to $1000.00 in value. The fingers and toes went next and turned to roles of pennies and dimes, respectively. The most valuable thing became his teeth which turned to diamonds. Finally he was covered in a thin gold film that became his skin.
“What the hell just happened?”
“My wish came true!” Louise screamed as she ripped a $100.00 bill from the back of her step-father’s head and hopped out of the small grey minivan.
Marcus tried to start his little van but the lightning from the wish must have short-circuited the battery. The lightning did not go unnoticed.
All the children and all the parents and all the teachers froze to stare at a little grey van with a man made out money stepping out of it. Then they saw the girl carrying a $100.00 bill with a wide evil grin on her face. All those people got that same smile. That same stare of want, of greed.
Marcus had seen the look before, he’d seen it on the faces of the senators of the commercials begging for supporters money. He’d seen it on all the celebrities faces while he watched The Oscars. Marcus knew those people would not stop until every last dime and dollar bill was ripped off him.
They ran after him. He ran too but his muscles were bank notes and couldn’t get very far. They ripped him atom by atom, tendon by tendon and limb by limb. When his first arm was torn off the blood that once flowed through his veins was liquid silver contained within veins made of gold. It wasn’t long before he passed out and they left nothing but a rusty penny that must have rested in what used to be his colon. While people were trying to collect the liquid silver it began to rain.
That little rusty penny was washed away. People pocketed their earnings. Marcus was spent on child support payments and fed the addiction of an alcoholic. A Big Gulp at 7–11, stocks, jail bonds, a new car, and an engagement ring were the other handful Marcus was spent on. Whatever was left people put into banks.
Greed consumes us all.
